I just can't do a day by day trip report. I don't know how you guys do it. Maybe if I kept notes each day. But I

Is the trip report over already?????

Great trip report and sounds like you had a great time too!
Now the questions....
Maytag blu cheese? washers, dryers, and cheese, I see they are quite diversified. I'm not a fan of Blu, so I didn't know there are different types???

Whats airtrans plane boarding like (for us non upgrade types)?

What do you think impressed your friends most on this trip? What had the biggest WOW-factor?

Wolfgangs has some very nice cocktails. A bit pricey, but I've had many a fine drink there. Even the simple things like a screw driver, taste better here. Actually, I've just added this place on to my mental list of things to re-do on my July trip. Thanks for the refresher!

Penny machines....a vice of mine lately, and I am wondering if there is some sort of secret society, of VP players that enjoy pissing away money on those penny machines.....if not, maybe I could be the one to start the club. Hi my name is Lee, and I have a problem...LOL I actually have favorite penny machines (type), and (now don't tell anyone) I even have favorite ones of those. After all, not all Hot Hot Penny machines are created equal! LOL

Thanks for sharing with us all!
Almost forgot, how did your friends do with the gambling??????

Very Good Kes,

That was a trip report worth waiting for. I thought maybe you were holding out until the weather got better here. I'm glad you got a taste of some of the variety and got to see what a "storm" is here. And you got to see how devastating that storm was when it went a little further east to where it hit moisture. I think it set off tornadoes in tornadoes in most states that it went through.

I'm also glad you mentioned the cabs. Back when I was tourist, there were a lot of very good (informative) taxi posts. I think I might try to dig some of that info up. Bottom line is that there are many, many, many, reasons to load the complaint number into speed dial into your phone. And there are just as many reasons to write down the cab number as you enter. One trick that I have used since long before talkvegas is that when I get in a cab, I make it a point to make sure the cabbie sees me leaning over to read his certificate as I write down his name and cab number. I often ask him his cab number or name or something just to make sure he knows I'm writing down that info. In reality all you need is the cab number. If he sees you writing down the info, he knows not to pull any funny tricks. Never be afraid to call the taxi cab authority, even if you are still in the cab, and he is doing something wrong. That's a very important informational subject we just haven't covered in a long time since there hasn't been a lot of cab talk lately.

I like your choices and variety of food on this trip. We all have our favorite places. I just love it when other people make my to do list grow. I had a Harrah's buffet dinner when their "new" buffet just opened and really enjoyed the food because it was flavorful and not bland like many buffets. It's not a cheap buffet by any means and if they can't maintain quality, it needs to come off my list of better buffets. I like your name "the Casino Formerly Known as Barbary Coast". Something about calling a casino Bill's is wrong. I had $9.99 prime rib there one time that okay except the plate had the juice in it sloshing around. I like my prime rib au jus on the side. I think it's $15 now, and probably not worh it. I do need to find a late night coffee shop in that area, so I'll give them a try again. And thanks for getting up early and breaking your tradition of not having breakfast at breakfast with me at Margaritaville. I really do enjoy the view and the coffee there. The food is not the main attraction, although I am growing fond of that steak and eggs. My baby sister is staying at the Flamingo now and we are going to have breakfast there this morning. I'll see if I still like the steak and eggs. You had some kind of omelette, didn't you? How was it? I've been thinking of a Wolfgang Puck weekend, hitting all his places. He is one of the few celeb chefs that actually shows up at his restaurants on a regular basis.

Sorry that you are losing your red eye flights. I really like them for Vegas trips. The only downside for me was that my room was never ready until 2-4 pm that afternoon, and every once in a while I kinda wanted a room earlier. I was usually too cheap to pay for that night with a late checkin because I got burned one time when they gave away my room even though I called twice saying I would be checking in at 2am.

That spa treatment really sounds good. I actually saw your trip report last night but didn't have time to read it. I printed the spa part out before I read it and gave it to my sister last night. They were planning on seeing Cher and even invited me to see it with them. I think I talked them out of it, and convinced her that she could spend half the money of a Cher ticket at a spa and still see a regular show, gamble and have money left over. For some reason I don't think Cher would be a money value (I had bang for the buck in there but it sounded very wrong). I think a Cher concert would be more a lifetime experience that you do it and check it off on your list of things to do. Somehow that spa sounds like a much more rewarding lifetime experience that you remember forever. Was that a ladies a spa or was that the name of the whole spa with men and women going their seperate ways as needed? My brother in law was cautiously curious about the whole spa thing. They are just Georgia Rednecks from the sticks and aren't real comfortable with city life, so this subject is a whole new world. Speaking of whole new world, did you go to the Hilton and check out the Star Trek or Quarks? Back to the spa, do you worry that a local spa wouldn't have the same mental impact as high end Vega spa? Kinda like staying at Caesars Palace versus staying at a Rochester Holiday Inn. Yes, you sleep on beds at both places and wake up refreshed, but it's just not the same. Let us know how it works out.

I'm glad your trip was profitable. That always makes a trip more fun. What are some of the more interesting comments from the other girls on Las Vegas? It's always interesting to see Vegas from the newbies perspective. Were they impressed by your knowledge of Las Vegas?

Again, a great trip report. You do such a great job of taking points I notice and find the right words to express them. I like your observations. That's neat.

Kes - what a great TR! Car or no car, it sounds like you did a lot and had a great time. Glad you made use of the monorail.

I'm curious to know how your friends did at the Tropicana - did they like their rooms? I know you were concerned about it a while ago.

I loved reading about your adventure with the locusts. Sounded interesting (well, sort of!)

I've always been curious about LEGENDS IN CONCERT. I think I might take your advice and see it at a discounted rate on one of my upcoming trips.

I've never even considered La Provencal at Paris but now I'm going to have to give it a second look. Your description got me interested.

I've had those Maytag Blue Cheese Chips at Wolfgang Puck's. They were very good. I've always had good meals at that restaurant.

I loved your description of the spa at Caesar's. Although I'm not much of a spa person, the "car wash" sounded interesting, as did the artic room with the snowflakes falling!

Congrats on the big win with the Wizard of Oz machine - sounded like a fun time!

Thanks again for a great TR!

Kes - GREAT trip and GREAT trip report - sounds like my kind of trip - shows that you really can have a great time, even without a car. Really enjoyed the reading. Wendell

Just a quick note (I'm at work) to answer JMT's questions for his family, since I don't know how long they will be in town.

Yes I had the So Cal omelette - bacon, jack cheese, avocado - what's not to like?

The Qua spa has two sides - men and women. The only treatment men can't get are the specialty baths with designer bath oils in a private room.

The only areas in common between the two sides are the gift shop and one waiting area where you go if you are a female and your massage therapist is a male, or vice versa. Otherwise, you never see the opposite sex.

They are very good a welcoming people and walking them through on a tour. If your sister goes, she should just tell them when she gets inside that it is her first visit to a spa (or Qua spa, whatever.)

Tell your sister to bring a bathing suit. Almost all the women (but not everyone) using the Roman baths wore suits. That surprised me on my first visit, since I was accustomed to Japanese public baths.

More response later - thanks all for reading!

Kes,

Great report.

If you could have gotten a car for $15/day, lets say $25 with all the fees, which would have been cheaper? Car or no car?

I've got several questions about the "Car Wash" but would probably just get myself in trouble.

I've enjoyed the chips and blue cheese before but can't remember where. Some of the blues to tend to stick with you a while.

Do these planes have first class AND business class or do they just call their front cabin business class? Did you get a meal or just drinks?

I'm also interested in hearing how the Trop worked out and if they were able to get a tower room.

Okay - let's see if I can get some of these questions answered (I;m flattered that there are so many!)

Lee - Maytag blue cheese is from the farm that developed the ability to make blue cheese from cow's milk, not sheep milk - in Iowa in 1941. It's acclaimed by gourmet folks these days. Its a pretty strong but extra creamy blue cheese. And I got most of that answer from Wikipidea!

Airtran boards like most traditional airlines, by zone area, with business class boarding first, then they board from the back of the plane to the front. Jeff, they just have business- 12 seats on most aircraft. No meals (I don't think they ever have meals, even when its not a redeye) but they pass a basket of assorted snacks - bagel chips, cookies, granola bars, etc. Coach gets a teeny tiny bag of pretzels. They do serve drinks like first class, offering the first round while you are still on the ground and everyone else is boarding.

I asked my friend what impressed them the most. She said there was something different each day - they were impressed by the Tropicana pool, and all its beautiful nooks and crannys. They really enjoyed that. But the biggest wow factor? I think the combination of the heat and the distance of everything!

As far as their gambling - they didn't do a lot, but my friend did do well on her last night on a nickel slot machine, and also mentioned having a lot of fun on a John Wayne machine. It was not a big gambling trip for either of them.

JMT - were my friends impressed with my knowledge of Vegas? Before the trip, they started calling me the Vegas guru. When we were in town, they were impressed - maybe grateful is the better word - that no matter where we were, I always knew where the closest ladies' room was located!

I did feel that everyone has to discover their own Vegas. And we had enough times apart that they had that chance. My friend's sister's Vegas meant shopping. During her workshop lunch break she bought a dress in the Trop's gift shop.My friend's Vegas meant enjoying the palm trees, the plantings, and relaxing by the pool and playing in the early evening.

And Joe, I don;t know if a spa here at home would have the same effect as a spa in Vegas. But I am willing to conduct the experiment. Lots of experiments!

Mike, my friends did end up with a Garden room at the Trop. It was okay. They had a late night Saturday arrival, and there was no budging on the registration clerk's part. I visited their room, it was okay, An odd shape, not a rectangular room. They had a balcony with sort of a view towards Excaliber. Cindy said on the really windy nights the sliding door rattled terribly. And the beds were bad. And the pipe under the sink rusted out and leaked - but it was fixed and cleaned up in about 20 minutes.

I hope you do go for "Legends" - its actually a show that would be fun for a group TalkVegas thing, since they do have (unfortunately) the traditional banquet tables and booth setups.

I had never considered le Provencal either, but we were hungry and it was there. I thought the service was uneven. My pasta dish had a delicious sauce, but it took forever to get more bread delivered to the table - or even a spoon to enjoy the sauce.

Jeff, no car worked out cheaper for me on this trip, but that's because I only used taxi's to go to and from the airport - so about $30 for that. And I had 7 rides left over on a monorail ticket - so mostly used going back and forth to the south strip to meet my friends. I think by the end of my trip I had to buy one more $5 ride. Otherwise I mostly stuck to midstrip places, and walked.

If I hadn't had the leftover rides, I would have spent maybe anther$36 on monorail passes ($9 for an 24 hour pass) That's one of the advantages of the IP location - very easy access to the monorail, and central strip location.

And really, Jeff. What could you possibly want to know about the "Car Wash" that could get you in trouble??

kes-great trip,great report.you have set the bar way to high on that penny jackpot,i am sure a record that will stand for a long time.ok i have penciled in the margaritaville breakfast.now if i can only get the wife up before noon! good food,good company,way to much fun,sounds like a great vegas trip to me!!

what time does margaritaville open for breakfast?

700

And they stop serving breakfast at 10, I think?

JMT - somebody I talked to wanted to know if you could get a margarita at breakfast time. I remember bloody marys and such on the menu, but the bar looked closed to me.

And Dag, I'm usually up before noon - but not usually that much more!

The first time I was there someone sat at the bar near where we were. A waitress told him that bar was closed and there was a bar on the south end that was open. I would draw a conclusion that margaritas would be available.

The bar we were near is the only one I actually saw. It seemed to be a fairly stocked bar. I would expect they could make most any island/party type drinks. I would not expect premium scotch or wines or expensive stuff to be their specialty.

Personally, I like to watch the city come to life just as the sun comes up. 0700 is a tad late for optimal viewing, IMHO. Still it's a great view in a nice setting. I've never seen the place more than half full which is nice since there are only about 10 tables or so. Maybe if they did more business, they could expand the menu or hours.

If I were a betting man, and I am, I would bet that Linda tells dag when to get up out of bed.

Kes, I was at the Flaming O this morning and your buddy Glinda was being very generous. One person had over $500, one had $380, and another person had $88.

Are those amounts you saw Glinda deliver? Its kinda tricky to know what a person started with.

When I won my big hit, the woman next to me had started with a $100. She told me so, because she had worked it up to $192 with a few bonuses. The next thing I knew, I looked at her screen and she was down to $68. She was usually betting 1.50 or .90 a spin.

I don't think she cashed out and put in another bill. At the time I was hovering between $30 and $40 from my $50 (after having gone up to $72) and the rest, as they say, is history (or at least a trip report.)

One more addition to the gambling topic:

I did monorail over to the Hilton on my last day, to try the Star Trek slot machines. There are two of them, and i believe this is the only location right now.

They are made by the same company as the Wizard of Oz and the Top Gun machines, and include a chair with speakers in the headrest.

There is one unusual feature. You can choose to log in and create an identity or password. Then, as you play, you earn medals - for bonus spins or certain reel combinations.

As you earn medals, you progress through the game, being given different ranks. When you earn a certain amount of medals, you then gain access to different versions or themes of the slot machine game.

I don't think it increases the value of what you can win - as usual, that is tied to your betting level.

When you return to the machine (either one) and input your id, it remembers how many medals you've earned and your rank.

One cute feature - you can print out your login id. It comes out like a regular TITO slip. You can login by simply inserting the slip, or use an onscreen keyboard.

I printed out one for me and one for David, as free souvenirs.

The game was fun, but not very profitable. If you want to see what it looks like, I uploaded two videos to Youtube. Just search for star trek slots. Feel free to leave a comment if you go there!

I also walked around the gift shops and bought a few things. Don't know if I will make it back to Vegas before they close at the end of the year.

Did I mention - one of my first "big" dates with David was to the second EVER Star Trek convention?

No way. About 2 minutes of watching video slots is more than I can tolerate.<g> The only reason I noticed is that a slot attendant was standing by the lady with $500+ pointing to the screen for what I assumed was an explanation to the bonus round. The screen had several big green circles with a Z on them or something like that.

I don't know how much they started with. They may have brought a ticket from a VP royal and put it in the machine. I doubt it though. I think the 3 ladies were together. They all had their machines displaying dollars. When I passed by later it was different people and they were displaying credits and were all under 2000.

jeff
It is very hard to clean a dirty mind, even in abody car wash at the spa!

It sounds like you had a wonderful time, in spite of our crazy weather that week!
Congratulations on the big Oz win............no wonder we can never get NEAR those machines!!! We'll have to keep trying. We haven't tried those multiplying multi poker games, either, you had a nice run on those!
The IP sounds like it was a fun place to be. We'll have to see Legends one of these days.
The Spa sounded heavenly aromatic! We had a friend that owned a Day Spa the last place we lived, and whenever you got within ten feet of that woman, she smelled WONDERFUL!!! Where do they get all that stuff with the superior smells? Obviously, it's not at my drug store.
Pleasant dreams of your next trip, and thanks for sharing the last one with us.

Aren't you glad you couldn't find those Back to the Future slots<g>? Congrats on your new friend (Glinda) and on your combo friend/solo trip - it sounds like you really had the best of both trip worlds.

Do you feel you lost anything in comps at IP due to the combined Harrah's card? You said you liked the variety of places you could play with that Total Rewards card, but would you consider moving from IP if Harrah's offered you free rooms at other properties, such as Flamingo, Paris or Rio?